Cole's Christmas Wish

A plan, crystal clear in its clarity, formed in Cole’s mind. He could use his real feelings for Rachel, along with what she believed to be true, and enlist her help in wooing “the woman of his dreams.” If Rachel was jealous, if she did hold more than friendship for him in her heart, wouldn’t that be enough to propel her to act? Maybe.

Or it could backfire. Send her scurrying even deeper into Andrew’s arms, into a future with him, and—like she’d done before—away from Cole. But hell, what did he have to lose?

If he did nothing, he’d gain nothing.

The snow still fell as he walked toward the sports store, where his truck was parked on the street out front, and a magical—dare he say, Christmassy—feeling wove in and wiped out his inner Grinch. He had to try. Had to see if he could resurrect the flame between them.

And if he couldn’t? If Rachel loved Andrew, if he made her happy, then nothing Cole did would change that. But maybe, if luck was with him, the process would allow him to put the past to rest. So he could move on and get Rachel out of his head.

Once and for all.

Chapter Three

Rachel finished loading the dishwasher with the breakfast dishes and faced Andrew, who had just returned to the kitchen after taking a phone call. “What do you want to do today? The snow’s falling a little too thick for skiing, but we could walk around the town, take in the sights, look for a tree...do some Christmas shopping. Whatever you want.”

“I’m sorry, Rachel, but that was the office,” Andrew said, gesturing toward his cell. “There are some issues with a potential client that will likely require my attention.”

“Oh.” Rachel fought off her disappointment. Andrew owned a management consulting firm, and she was already well-versed in the putting-plans-on-hold department. He was busy, traveled extensively and rarely made it through a meal, let alone an entire day, without an interruption. “Well, you warned me this would be a working vacation. Is it serious?”

“Maybe. Too soon to tell yet, but we should probably—”

“Stay in today,” Rachel finished his sentence for him. “That’s fine! We can dig out the Christmas decorations, so they’re ready to go when we find a tree, watch some old movies, play a board game.” An idea occurred to her. A nice, homey, tradition-filled idea. “Hey! Feel like baking some sugar cutouts?”

“You’re amazing, do you know that?” Approaching her, Andrew dropped his phone on the counter and pulled her into a hug. “You’ve never given me grief over my job, over the demands placed on our relationship because of it. I appreciate that in you, Rachel.”

“I’m glad you’ve noticed,” she joked, standing up on her tiptoes to brush her lips over his cheek. “Because sometimes, your job is a pain in the butt.”

“I know it seems that way, especially since your schedule is typically so clear,” he said, referring to Rachel’s careerless life. “But the company is in a crucial period right now. We’re growing fast, which is good, but I have to ascertain we’re able to sustain the growth, see to our existing client base, bring new clients on board, all while expanding and training staff.”

His comment burned, a little, even though she knew he hadn’t meant any harm. She kept herself busy enough with her parents’ social events, where her attendance was deemed mandatory, charitable causes and their functions—of which, there were plenty, and the odd class here and there, when something pulled at her interest.

But Andrew was right. Her schedule was infinitely clearer than his.

“I understand all of that, Andrew, which is why I don’t give you grief.” She appreciated his appreciation, but she’d enjoy his undivided attention a bit more. Especially now, on their first full day in Steamboat Springs. “So...what will it be? Cookies, decorations, games or a movie?”

“Cookies sound—” Andrew jerked to grab his phone, but it wasn’t his cell buzzing. It was Rachel’s “—delicious. Go ahead and get that. I’ll search the cupboards for ingredients.”

Nodding, Rachel answered without looking at the display.

“Hey there, Rach. How’s your morning treating you?” Cole asked, jovial as all get-out.

The sound of his voice—the rich, deep ring of it—sank in like butter melting on a hot, fresh-off-the-griddle pancake. That, along with his upbeat mood, caused her attitude to dip another degree. Still, she kept her tone chipper when she said, “Wonderful. How’s yours?”

“Good. Real good, in fact.” Someone said something on his end that she couldn’t quite catch, but she heard enough to know the speaker was female. Was it her? The complicated, shy-yet-determined Cupcake? “Haley says hi,” Cole said. “And wants to know if you have any clothes you’re angling to give away.”

Haley. Cole’s sister, not his girlfriend.

Rachel laughed, in relief and in humor. Last year, when Haley had stopped by for a visit, she’d raided Rachel’s closet, oohing and ahing at the designer labels. She’d been so excited, Rachel had given her a boxful of outfits: dresses, shirts, pants and a couple of jackets.

Rachel didn’t need them. Her mother shopped to show her love...and she shopped a lot. Which, Rachel supposed, said something. “Tell Haley to stop by whenever,” she said. “My closet is her closet.”

Cole relayed the information. Haley squealed and jabbered something else. Rachel smiled even broader. She adored Cole’s family. For a long while, when she was younger, she’d pretend they were her family. Her parents, her brothers, her sister.

Well, except for Cole. She’d never thought of him as her brother.

“Believe it or not, the reason for my call has nothing to do with my sister’s fetish for clothes,” Cole said, returning his attention to Rachel. “If you’re available—and I’ll understand if you’re not, seeing this is last minute—I thought we could meet up for lunch.”

“Lunch? Today?” Andrew, she saw, had found the flour and sugar. She pointed toward the cupboard that held the mixing bowls. “As in, you and I? Or will your significant other be joining us?” No way, no how would she resort to calling a stranger “Cupcake.”

“I believe she will be present, yes.”

“Really? That fast? I thought you said it would take some time to convince her to meet me. Since she’s so shy and all. Or did I misunderstand you?”

“What can I say? Women are a mystery. Just when I think I have one figured out, they veer off course and I have to start from scratch.” Exhaling a short, noisy sigh, Cole continued, “I gotta say, Rachel, you females are a confusing lot. Say one thing when you mean another. Speak in code half the damn time, and usually, we poor men are left in the dark.”

“Uh-huh. You ‘poor men’ rule the world, rarely call a girl when you say you’re going to, and usually, leave us poor women wondering what we did wrong to elicit such behavior...and scrambling to figure out what we can do to fix it.”

“Sweetheart,” Cole said in that drawling way of his, “the perception might be that men rule the world, but the facts are that women rule the men. Your team has the upper hand in every negotiation with my team. Ask Andrew if you don’t believe me.”

“I’ll do that.” Huh. If that were the case, then why did Rachel forever feel as if she were on the losing team? “Later. But only if you ask your sister.”

“Deal. I’ll be interested in hearing his take,” Cole said with a chuckle. “About lunch?”

“Well...” Rachel stalled, unsure if she was prepared to meet Cole’s Cupcake just yet. “Andrew and I are baking cookies and we might...um...bake a lot. So not really sure if today—”

“Go, Rachel,” Andrew said, pausing his search of her cupboards. “I’ll probably be tied up soon enough with work, anyway. I’m sure we can get at least one batch of cookies baked first.”

“One sec,” she said to Cole. Then, covering the phone with her hand, said to Andrew, “Are you sure? I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

“Lunch with Cole and his girlfriend, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m sure.” He opened a drawer and discovered the measuring spoons. “You can get out of the house for a bit and I can focus on my job without feeling guilty. Seems like a win-win situation. On all accounts.”

“Right. Win-win.” Discouraged and, not that she’d admit it, somewhat annoyed, Rachel nodded and put the phone next to her ear. “Lunch is fine, Cole. When and where? Foster’s?” she asked, referring to the family-owned restaurant and pub. Where else would they go?

“No,” Cole said after the briefest of pauses. “Let’s go to Dee’s Deli. Say one o’clock?”

“Um. Sure. I’ll see you then.” Hanging up, Rachel smiled absently at Andrew, who was now organizing the items he’d placed on the counter. It was cute. And...homey. “All set.”

“Good. Are you excited to meet Cole’s better half?”

“I’m more interested than excited. As far as her being his better half? I’d say that remains to be seen.” Her irrational irritation at the whole mess broke free with, “He calls her Cupcake. Cupcake! Isn’t that ridiculous? She isn’t a toy poodle, for crying out loud.”

“Perhaps she resembles a toy poodle, hence the nickname?”

“What?” Rachel tried to picture that possibility and came up blank. “You mean if she’s petite and has curly hair? Or...I don’t know, Andrew. How can a woman resemble a poodle?”